Happy Birthday Angelo
by TrampledRose
Summary: Percy overhears Nico's birthday is later that week, and decides to get him a present, outside of camp. Cute little birthday fluff, unsure of sequel. Perico!


_**Hello all! So, October sixth was my birthday, so I have been thinking, I'll give you all a birthday one shot! Some Perico fluff. I trully hope you enjoy this, as I am very confident in this plotline.**_

_**I am NOT Rick Riordan, thus I own none of his properties (or talent).**_

_Happy Birthday Angelo_

~Percy's P.O.V.~

Today, I found something out about Nico that I knew he didn't want anyone else to know about.

His birthday.

I was walking around the cabins after cabin clean-up. Cabin three wasn't too difficult, since I was the only camper in that cabin. I decided to go to another one of the smaller populated cabin, and decided to check in on cabin 13 - Hades cabin.

There were two occupants, both of which are close to me. I figured they were also done with their cleaning, so I walked up the stairs and prepared to knock, before I heard Hazel squeal.

"Your birthday's on Saturday?" She cried.

"Shh! Quiet! You and Jason are the only people I want to know about it. Frankly, I think you're the only people who care." Said a voice with an unmistakable Italian undertone. It could only be Nico. I slightly deflated at the thought he wouldn't care if me or the others knew.

"Oh, Nico, don't say that." Hazel said, quieter. I leaned forward slightly to hear. "Of course they would. You're just in loner-mode." She said with sarcasm. I held in a snort of amusement.

"Whatever. I don't want any parties, so please, don't even think about that. Just, I... I don't wanna be alone again this year." He said the last part so softly, I had to take a step forward to hear it.

And of course, the deck creaks. I curse in Greek under my breath and knock like I just got there.

"Come in." Hazel said in an innocent tone.

I came in to see Nico glaring at his bed and Hazel leaning against hers.

"Oh, hello Percy." She flashed me a smile.

"Hey." I said, grinning at them.

But clockworks were shifting in my head. Today was Wednesday, and I was determined to give something to Nico.

~Nico's P.O.V.~

The next day, I slept in. But when I woke, something was off.

I was walking to the training grounds to practice sparring with Jason, like we agreed on yesterday, and everyone looked solemn. I wondered if something happened, and eventually saw Piper walking toward the Big House with a worried look.

"Piper!" I called. She walked over. "What's going on?"

"You haven't heard?" She asked. When she's sad, her voice drops a few octaves. One of the things I noticed on the Argo II. Now was one of those times. "Percy. . ." My stomach dropped. "He ran away."

"What?" I asked lowly.

She nodded. "Everyone close to him has been asked to see Chiron, so he can try to find any clues about where he couldv'e gone. Walk with me, okay?"

I couldn't do anything but nod. My anger towards that Seaweed Brain flared. On top of all his other crimes, he has the balls to run away, leaving his friends?

"Were there, any clues?" I asked quietly.

"As far as I heard, he left cold turkey." She shook her head.

"Okay."

We continued in silence, like the rest of the camp.

When we arrived, Piper prepared to knock, but she stopped.

"He's busy." She whispered. We stood there awkwardly, then pressed our ears to the door.

"Really?" Said a surprised voice. I couldn't quite figure out who it belonged to, but Piper's face paled. I have her a confused look. She mouthed, _Annabeth_.

"You mean you didn't know by now?" Asked a hearty voice only known as Chiron's.

"No, this is news to me. When did it happen?"

"Overnight. We haven't told many others, but he left a note." There was rustling. Me and Piper shared a look.

Now I was never close to Piper. I was never close to anyone at this camp. But this was one moment I was glad she was around.

"This is it?"

"Yes."

" 'If I'm not back by Saturday, I'm probably dead?' "

"Saturday?" I said under my breath. Piper gave a look, but didn't question.

Annabeth continued. "Are you sure this is the only thing in the cabin?"

"Yes, Annabeth." Chiron sighed, trying to stay patient. "This was on his pillow, most of his belongings untouched. I believe that he went to retrieve something."

There was a long pause. I almost walked away.

"Annabeth," Chiron asked. "What's running through your mind?"

"I'm thinking..."

At that time, I'm expecting her to freak out, to demand a search party, to beg for a quest, or _something_ other than what she said.

"how stupid that Seaweed Brain is." She scoffed. "The feces he'll get for this when and if he gets back outweighs anything he could run away to get. I swear, sometimes, I think he'll be lost without me_._" She snorted. "I'm sick of being his mother all the time."

My face felt hot. I reached for the doorknob, but a hand grabbed my wrist and guided me away from the building.

"I think we've heard enough." Piper said quietly. I detected no surprise in her voice.

"Why do I think you've heard this before?" I asked sourly.

"I haven't; but I expected it. Daughter of Aphrodite. I knew their relationship is - was, not like a normal demigod relationship."

I didn't have anything nice to say, so I kept my mouth shut. I wasn't sure where she was taking me, but I wasn't sure where I would go if I had a choice. So I let myself be dragged.

We ended up in front of Zeus' cabin. Piper walked up and knocked on the door.

"Come in." Said a curious voice.

Piper came in and sat down, Jason's eyes looking at us curiously from where he was sprawled out on his bed.

"Have you heard?" Piper asked as she motioned for me to sit. There where two beds set, and knowing one was sacred, I sat on the bed at his feet.

Jason nodded. "Any news?"

Piper explained what we heard from Annabeth and Chiron. When she finished, both where giving me a sad look.

"Man, I'm sorry, Nico."

I glared at him like an Athena camper at a spider.

"Don't worry, Nico, I know." Piper said.

I glared at him like I was gonna kill him.

"Nico," Piper said quickly. "Daughter of Aphrodite, remember? Jason told me nothing, I guessed it."

"Oh..." I said, slowly catching on. My anger went down. "Okay."

"And I'm sorry too, Nico. I shouldv'e told you earlier that it wasn't gonna last."

"Why?" I asked sarcastically. "Is he having a change of heart?"

They glaced at each other, then Jason met my eyes. "We think that's why he ran away."

I didn't say anything. "Guys..."

"Just a thought. He couldv'e ran away to deal with whatever's going through his head. Maybe he's -"

"Shut up, Jason." I barked, standing up. "He's not - he can't be. . ."

"Nico, calm down." Piper said, using charmspeak. Instantly, my shoulders sagged and my heart rate slowed.

"Damn you." I said softly. She smiled tightly.

"Sorry. I was afraid you'd go ballistic."

"Nico," Jason piped up. "It's just a guess. No one can be positive why he left."

"Um, the note said Saturday, right? What's on Saturday?" Piper asked. Jason met my eyes.

"Saturday?" I nodded. "Did he know?"

"I don't think so. Saturday is also the end of the week, so, he couldv'e just meant by the end of the week." I suggested.

Piper was giving me a confused look. I sighed. "Saturday's my birthday..."

"Oh! Cool!" She said. I held back from rolling my eyes.

"Well," Jason said. "there's nothing else to do but wait. And hope he gets home this week."

The next two days passed slowly, horribly. Everyone was distracted. Except Annabeth, who just walked around looking pissed. I prayed to my father constantly for Percy to come back.

On Friday night, I ran into Annabeth on my way to my cabin after campfire.

"Watch it, Angelo." She warned before turning around.

"No, you watch it. You ran into me." I snarled. She turned to me and curled her lip.

"As if you couldn't tell, I'm kindof already pissed, so leave it, if you know what's best."

"That's the thing, Chase, you're supposed to be sad. You should be missing him. Like a girlfriend would." Crowds of campers had started to gather, and I could tell they were expecting a fight.

"I'm not _supposed_ to be anything, Angelo. I'm just not sad over his stupid choice."

"You're such a bitch!" I said, my voice raising a few octaves. "You don't care at all! He could be dead, and it would make no difference to you!" I waited her her to say something, but she just pushed her shoulders back and kept a poker face. "Why do you even bother?"

"Because no one else would." She said.

Whispers started around us. One girl called out, "I would!" Other words were said too. Bets, for who was gonna win if we fought. Bets on if we would fight. I shook my head.

"You suck, Chase. I'm walking away, but for your benefit." I shoved past her and continued to my cabin as Chiron trotted up to the crowd. It took me two hours after that to fall asleep.

Saturday came, and Hazel, Jason, and Piper stayed in my cabin with me for a while. It was kindof awkward, but I was grateful. I thanked them as they left, mainly for not making a big deal out of the day.

At dinner, right after we sat, Chiron, looking grim, stood and called for our attention.

All of us knew what he was going to say. But all us us were still shocked to hear it. Exept Annabeth.

"Campers, we have reason to believe that a fellow camper, Percy Jackson, is... dead."

"No. . ." Whispered Grover Underwood. There were low mutters all around me. A buzz, almost. Chiron went on, talking about how great a hero he was, renouncing the acts of bravery the boy did.

But all I could think was, _He's still alive._

I felt it. I had been monitoring his soul. I couldn't locate it, but I felt it. If that soul was dead, I'd feel it. But it still flickers.

After lights-out, I snuck out to cabin three.

I knew it was wrong, but I had a feeling Percy had left more clues. I needed assurance. Closure, even.

I did a quick sweep, but only found one thing that caught my eye, in the bottom drawer of his dresser.

There was a book. A book that would have been conviscated by a cabin leader. My cheeks burnt as I stared at a twink that looked so much like me, it was scary. And in such an inappropiate pose, too.

I put it away, deciding no more evidence was even left.

But what I found on my way back to cabin 13 was much better.

A staggering boy, with shredded clothes and and hand clutched to a red side. Something that looked like a shopping bag was tucked into his arm. And he heading toward my cabin.

Breathless, I sprinted toward the boy, until I was behind him.

"I knew you were alive." I whispered. He whipped around with a gasp.

"Nico!" He wrapped his arms around me.

"You idiot! They all thought you were dead! And you're hurt!"

He nodded. "I know. I need water." I suddenly noticed how weak he sounded. I slung an arm around my shoulder and helped him to his cabin. I lowered him beside the fountain, watching as he put a hand in the water. After a minute, he removed the tattered remains of his shirt, only to find no cuts.

"Good as new." He said, standing and grinning. I almost swooned, but I stiffened myself.

"Percy. . . Why did you leave, really?" I asked cautiosly. His eyes widened.

"Oh, that's right. I almost forgot." He fished around in the bag until his face lit up. "Close your eyes, and hold out your hands."

"Percy?" I asked, worried.

"It's alright. Trust me."

I huffed and did as I was told. I felt a sudden weight in my hands, then a slight brush of his his fingertips as he drew back.

"Open." He urged quietly.

I opened my eyes, and stared at the idem in my hands. It was a skeleton, attached to a small platform, with a solar panel.

"A solar powered skeleton?" I asked.

"Yeah." He said eagerly. "Come here." He grabbed my arm gently and guided me to the window. "Go ahead."

I rolled my eyes and placed the toy on the pane. The skeleton's hips wiggled. The skeleton danced.

"What. . .?"

"Do you like it?" He asked eagerly. I looked up to see wide green-eyes, waiting for my opinion. "It's powered by moonlight instead of sunlight, so I knew you'd use it more."

"Percy, is. . . is this what you left for?"

"Happy birthday." He said quietly, looking at me carefully.

"You did this for me?" I asked. He nodded, looking sheepish.

I slapped the back of his head.

He yelped. "Hey, I don't -" I interruped him with a hug.

"Thank you, Percy. I love it." I sighed. I felt him tense, then return the favor. "But if you ever pull any of the stunts you did this week, especially for me, I'll kill you."

"Jeez, Nico, you sound like Annabeth." I tensed, before letting go. I almost forgot about her.

"Please don't compare me to her." I asked.

"Sorry." He said sheepishly. "First order of business, though, now that I'm back, is to dump her."

"What? Why?"

"Because, she doesn't act like my girlfriend, she acts like my mom." I laughed at that. At least he knew it. "You should go get some sleep, Nico. It's late." He clapped my shoulder gently.

"Already? You just got back. I wanna know how you're weeks been."

"Trust me, I have a lot of explaining to do. But I wanna explain all of it once. So can it wait till I tell everyone?"

". . .Sure." I grabbed the skeleton and smiled smally at Percy, who had walked over to his dresser.

"Good night, Percy."

"Trust me, it will be." He winked at me, and before I shadow-traveled, I watched him eagerly open the bottom drawer.

The next day, Percy arrived at breakfast. I was the only one that wasn't surprised to see him.

He explained everything. How he went first to iris message hades himself, asking if he could exchange some drachmas for american dollers; how they met up at Sally's house, so he could visit his family while he was in town; then to the dollar store, only to get attacked by some mythical creature; how he made it home with an injury; how he found me lastnight and how I helped him.

He never said anything about my birthday, thank the gods.

"What did you go to the dollar store for?" Someone had asked.

Percy pulled something out of his pocket. "These." It was a bag of jellybeans. Only the blue ones.

After his speech, I saw him talking to Chiron, who, though happy to see him, must be telling Percy his punishment.

Then him talking to Annabeth. They had obviously broke up, because of the facial expression Annabeth wore. It was worth a million bucks.

And after that, he talked to a cute camper girl, who mustv'e been a daughter of Aphrodite. I was too far away to hear them, but after she said something, he looked at me, as if determined. I looked away, embarrassed. But I saw the girl smile knowingly and return to her breakfast.

Well, I hope you liked it! Pretty long, but I tried to insure you guys wouldn't beg for more. Review, please! ~TrampledRose


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